PortaPow 3rd Gen Triple USB + USB-C Power Monitor with Data Blocker

Purchased the PortaPow Dual USB Power Monitor to test a portable solar panel and some cables that we recently purchased. The first picture shows how the unit was received in a plastic bag. Second picture shows the instruction sheet that is folded and enclosed in the bag. The unit was well packed in a padded shipping envelope and arrived in good shape.The unit worked great and made verifying the output of the 2 USB ports on the solar panel a snap. The third picture shows the device display that was taken indoors and it clearly shows the back lighting in operation. Had concerns about how the display would be in the bright sunshine. The display, even in bright sunshine, was easy to read. The last picture shows the display in bright sunshine. The protective plastic film is still on the display. The instructions tell you to remove it. I wanted to test the unit first so left the protective film on during these pictures. The display is crisp and clean once the film is removed.The unit displays basic voltage, current and a cumulative value that equates to mAh for evaluating battery pack charge capacity. That's all that was needed for the testing we did. The device specifications state there are nine memory positions to store the mAh readings. This could be useful for anyone who wants to track or compare differences between chargers and devices. The instruction sheet clearly states that the backlight will turn off automatically after 5 minutes to save power. This gives a more accurate mAh reading. Simply push the button on the device and the display will turn on again.Did not test the device readings against any laboratory test equipment to verify accuracy of the readings. Our main use is a quick test reading that does not require high accuracy. See no reason to doubt the accuracy claims from the manufacturer. It was very easy to determine the voltage drop of some new "heavy duty" USB cables. We simply swapped individual cables between a fixed charger, the PortaPow and a battery under charge and noted the readings. A very simple test, but we were pleasantly surprised to see how the larger AWG wire used for the USB power leads in the new cables really made if difference in the charging current.The PortaPow has two USB test ports;USB1 and USB2USB1 -- is charge only and blocks all data transfer. This allows you to charge your device from any USB socket without risk of data hacking. The data blocking prevents downloading or reading anything stored on your device through the USB port. This is especially important when you are using any USB port that is shared publicly.USB2 -- passes both data and charge.The unit size was easy to hold when making cable changes during our tests and the light weight (.8 oz) makes it a very portable device. The cost was low enough that we have one in our home computer shop and carry another one for use in the RV when setting up our portable solar panel.This product was not provided as a sample for this review, so none of these comments are influenced in any way by the seller.UPDATE - added a couple of pictures to better show the size of the unit. Also added statement about backlight operation of the display.

I'm a sucker for little widgets that give you data about what's happening. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this not only shows you voltage and current, but also has multiple individual memories (9 of them, apparently) that show how much current has transferred to the device being charged in a given session.

This allows USB charging from public chargers while blocking (or allowing) USB data transfers, depending on which port your device is connected to; a good security feature. There is a power monitor showing how charging is proceeding, with several memories if that's of interest, plus an USB-C port for newer devices. Instructions are sparse and not the best, but the device is quite useful, particularly on travel.

This device is great for testing how much juice is going through all my various USB chargers. i.e. i tested all my car changers and found some were better than others. It is also great to see how much juice is going through my solar chargers.Another thing you can do with this device is log the watts out from my larger battery backup. i.e. only give someone 10000 watts.the only problem is that some type of component has come loose from the circuit board. but as crazy as it may seem it still seems to be working. I have attached a photo. I wonder if this is necessary? I has not been abused, in fact it is usually just kept in a drawer.

This meter has some attractive features: multiple ports, capability of holding 9 different totals. The one-button control take a bit of learning, but is manageable if you can remember the button-press sequences. However for me, more often than not, it fails at the primary job of holding energy totals after the power goes off (or power bank runs out). When I check the unit after a run, totals are usually back to 0. That is unfortunate because it would be very useful if it functioned as advertised.

I purchased this device on May 8th 2016 and it is still working great as of 1/1/2020! Other reviews have hit on the specs and features of this device, so I won't go there. I use it regularly to test battery capacity, charge cable performance and portable solar panel current output. This thing provides accurate feedback that can be used to verify manufacturer claims about power output and battery performance. I recently used this device to determine that a cell phone replacement battery was junk -- with an actual capacity of 1690mAh as opposed to the claimed 3760mAh.Totally worth the price -- I recommend it to anyone who cares to asses the characteristics mentioned above.

Works as expected, providing data as to available voltage and actual current flow into a USB device. Particularly useful if you're experiencing charging problems in determining whether the problem is with the AC adaptor or the cable (or the USB device itself). I've had several experiences now in finding a USB-Lightning cable that was malfunctioning as well as one where the actual device being charged had a short within its USB port. This monitor has backlighting and is easily legible. Overall does exactly what I was looking for.

Works great, bought it to test a power brick battery with two usb ports. One is 1.0 amps the other is 2.0 amps. You can do this type of test on any usb port. Simply plug this in to the port, then attach the device to this. Port A was 1.2, and port b was 2.1.It is also nice for protection. There are 2 usb ports on it. One is set up to charge a device only, and blocks anything from attempting to download or read anything stored on the device.The other allows charging and data reading, uploads, or downloads.The protected port is great, especially if you are using any usb port that is shared publicly. For charging your device.